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The Monitor (Kampala)
October 19, 2003
Posted to the web October 20, 2003
Badru D. Mulumba
Kampala
President Yoweri Museveni has asked Britain for intelligence information on the Lord's Resistance Army.
The British lawmaker, Mr Michael Fabricant (Lichfield), revealed this during a debate in the House of Commons on the rebellion in Acholi on Tuesday.
The House was seeking answers on the rebellion from UK Minister of State for Commonwealth Affairs, Mr Chris Mullin.
Fabricant said that the minister was aware that the LRA has abducted about 20,000 children in northern Uganda over the last five years.
"He will also be aware, however, that President Museveni has requested that signals intelligence and other intelligence aid be provided to the government and army of Uganda to assist them in their fight to protect the people of Uganda from that terrible terrorist organisation," the MP said, according to a copy of the UK Hansard that Sunday Monitor has seen.
"What precisely are the government doing, or what will they do, to assist President Museveni and the people of Uganda?" he asked.
But Mullin did not say whether UK had accepted the said request. Instead, he said, the military solution has failed to work.
"I do not think that the honorouble gentleman will expect me to get involved with the precise details of any military assistance that we are giving to Uganda, but I repeat what I said earlier: ultimately, there is no military solution," he said.
"Some way will have to be found of establishing contact with the LRA and of putting an end to this dreadful rebellion. The military solution has been tried, but it has not worked," he said.
While admitting 'working closely with friendly forces and powers to end terrorism, Uganda's Defence Minister Mr Amama Mbabazi would not deny nor admit that Uganda requested such intelligence information.
"We have been talking about having a global alliance against terrorism. To that extent, we have been talking to all willing partners," he told Sunday Monitor on Friday.
Intelligence information could include communications signals such as telephone calls. Intelligence signals could also be satellite images revealing location or movement of rebels.
Sudan factor
Earlier, Mullin had said that UK does not consider that it has any role to play in mediation at this stage. He also said Museveni has not requested mediation help.
Mullin said this as he answered MP Valerie Davey 's (Bristol, West) question about any plans UK might have to mediate the conflict. Davey also wanted to know if there was any opportunity for the international community to take action to calm the increasingly volatile situation in northern Uganda.
Mullin said that the prospect of peace in Sudan where the LRA gets safe haven would put pressure on the rebels. Mbabazi concurred with this argument.
"The Sudanese government is cooperating with us, despite some problems. We believe they are cooperating," Mbabazi told Sunday Monitor.
"And of course, if there is peace in Sudan the question of finishing off the LRA would not arise," he added.
"We are also anxious to encourage dialogue between the government of Uganda and the LRA, which is rather difficult given that the LRA does not have negotiable demands.
That is the only way forward, however, because, as she (Davey) knows, a military solution has been tried...-it has only led to a great deal more suffering..," Mullin said.
The LRA rebellion has been going on for about 15 years.
MPs, exiles meet
The debate on the LRA in the House of Commons debate came on the heels of a meeting between House of Commons leader and cabinet minister, Mr Peter Hain and some Ugandan exiles.
At the Labour Party conference on September 29, Mr Hain met Mr Sam Akaki, European coordinator for International Lobby for Reform in Uganda, a group linked to Reform Agenda, the opposition pressure group headed by exiled former presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye.
"We used the precious opportunity to draw Mr Hain's attention to the real and increasing risks of political, social and economic crises occasioned by the decision by the Movement Cabinet to recommend a Constitutional amendment and lifting of the presidential term limit," Akaki told Sunday Monitory yesterday from UK.
"They discussed corruption, use of war as a policy for the political and economic benefits," he said.
They brought Hain's attention to the spread of the rebellion to eastern Uganda and the creation of militias in the form of Arrow Boys. They also discussed illegal detentions in 'safe houses' as documented by human rights watchdog, Amnesty International" he added.
"We told the Minister that all these developments are slowly but surely eroding the very foundation of Uganda, which could become another failed African state," Akaki said.
"We are pleased that some of these issues were raised during the debate on Uganda on 14th October."
